"Defending the truth is not something done from a sense of duty...but as a reward in itself." de Beauvoir

At the start of "Defending Jacob," the prior district attorney, Andy Barber, is facing the grand jury and we realize that some terrible thing has occurred.

Neal Logiudice is questioning Barber about why he accepted the case of Ben Rifkin's killing. Ben was a schoolmate of Andy's son, Jacob.

Andy had been a successful assistant district attorney in suburban Massachusetts for years. As the story progresses, things begin to unravel and the comfortable life that Andy had, begins to shatter.

His son, Jacob is accused of the crime but Andy thinks that this is nonsense. Andy's deliberate approach to solving the crime begins to look like he wasn't giving the case his full attention and should have given the case to another district attorney due to a possible conflict of interest.

Logiudice's blind ambition becomes apparent as he creates enough uncertainty about Andy that Andy is put on paid leave and the prosecution is given to Logiudice.

How far would a father go to protect his son? This is a question that arises in the book. Andy has no doubt that his son is innocent and he makes mistakes in questioning Jacob's friends after Andy had been taken off the case.

There is not only suspense but more. This is a story that grabs at the reader's heart and squeezes it as we wonder what we would do in a similar situation.

Fans of Scott Turow will be entertained by this courtroom mystery. William Landay is a storyteller at his peak. The dialogue is exceptional and as Andy speaks, it is as if we are in the room with him experiencing the moment.

The concluding moments of this novel are such that the reader will gasp with astonishment.
This is a powerful novel that shouldn't be missed.